There are many "classic" CW keyboards from the 70's, or even late 1960's, where the matching between pushbutton and CW symbol is simple one-to-one.

These predated widely-available computer keyboards so hams often made their own keyboards by drilling one hole for each key and putting a pushbutton in the hole. Generally there is no microcomputer inside, some of the oldest (1960's) didn't even have integrated circuits inside.

I am biased - because I own two of these - but the MFJ-496 Super Keyboard II, introduced to the market in 1983, is the best CW keyboard ever manufactured. Why? Because the keyboard is built into a stand-alone metal enclosure and is therefore RFI proof and strong as a tank. With an optional internal board, the keyboard would also send RTTY and ASCII. I never had the optional board and have only used mine on CW. They are great keyboards too. Press any key and the unit immediately sends that character in flawless CW. There's a meter for monitoring sending speed and it has a nice buffer allowing one to type quite a bit ahead of what's going out on the air. This is a sending only unit - nothing that displays what is being sent or displays what is being copied. I do all the CW copying in my head.

I spent $300 for the first one. The model was introduced at the 1983 Dayton Hamvention and I was terribly keen to buy one. But the only one at the show was the display model in the MFJ booth. I worked out a deal that if I paid full price - $300 - they would sell me the display after the convention's conclusion. I have used the keyboard almost daily ever since. Since there's no monitor, being a good touch typist really pays off although there is an edit function should a mistake occur. It can be deleted before being sent on the air. I have taken the keyboard with me on numerous trips and vacations and operated with it. It's a bit beat up with some paint missing here and there but still works like a champ. Very rugged keyboard. (Unlike the later MFJ models that had the keyer in a box and you plugged in a computer keyboard. Some of those had RFI issues. Not mine.)

About 5 years ago, a ham dealer had another MFJ-496 show up from a silent key estate. They wanted $50 and I gladly paid it to have a back-up. It's nearly mint. The keyboard has memories as well as controls for speed and weight and tone for the sidetone. The whole thing works great.

I ran into Martin, K5FLU, on the air a couple years ago and told him about buying the keyboard display model at Dayton. He said he generally tries to keep the first of any model of anything they make and had wondered what he didn't have the first MFJ-496 in his collection. It's because, I told him, they sold it to me at Dayton in 1983.

Not exactly sure what youre seeking but a buddy has been bringing a "cw buddy" to our club's contest operations. It plugs right into the keyjack and allows keyboarding independent of a computer. Just plug and go.

He built it from a battery operated CW Buddy kit ( 1"x2"x1" ), and connects to it a spare regular IBM keyboard and runs a shielded line ( ie audio line/plug) into any rig's key jack.

You can adjust the speed, sidetone, and load in 12 memories on the keyboard. Very nice. He even made one for me. Great for learning cw, but also rag chewing, dxing, contesting, etc. Reports on the cw note and shape have been outstanding with several requests for info on how to obtain one.

You get a pdf file. Simple circuit, no SMD components used, it used an old PC-AT keyboard. The prosigns are under the arrow keys, and you can use the F1 -- F12 knobs for fixed messages and a contest counter. It is speed adjustable from 3 till 99 wpm.

i know this isnt quite what you asked there is a guy sell a computer serial port to transmitter key 10 bucks shipped on ebay 10 bucks for his software should work with some of the other cw sending programs hrd and others no serial port no problem 10 bucks gets serial port to usb adapter hope this helps

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